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The thread was never totally relevant to the NS anyway, but it may become so in the future, so a little drift is far from inexcusable...

The Vikings were, as we know great seamen and boat builders. They lived mainly on the coastal strip of a long country Norway. They may have been piratical at first but they also became plunderers and tended to bed down in the areas plundered like Dublin, Faroes, Iceland, and further afield. They ultimately also became explorers and settlers as a consequence. No different to the voyages of acquisition of all maritime nations. I think the Vikings were only 5% Pirates !!!

Togo has been added to the Joint War Committee's listed areas where additional war risk premiums are charged by London underwriters, according to a bulletin published by the Lloyd's Maritime Association this week.

The Joint War Committee has added Togo to the "Hull War, Piracy, Terrorism and Related Perils" list, which includes Nigeria, Benin and parts of the Gulf of Guinea, in response to attacks on ships and a growing piracy threat in the region.

This follows news last week from the International Maritime Organization that West African heads of state will meet at the end of June to adopt a code to fight growing piracy in their coastal waters that would include the use of arrests, prosecutions and seizures of ships.

According to data from the International Maritime Bureau published earlier in the year, there has been a growing trend for piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea including in the Togo area.
On May 5 the IMB reported a product tanker had been fired upon by pirates while located 27 nautical miles south-southeast of Lome, Togo. The ship was undertaking ship-to-ship transfer of oil products when pirates were seen attempting to board the ship. The Togo Navy exchanged fire with the pirates and the boarding of the vessel was unsuccessful. All crew were reported safe. On May 17 there were other attempts to board a chemical tanker off Lome, which were also unsuccessful.

Historically Gulf of Guinea pirates would hijack ships, kidnap the crew while they siphoned off the cargo to the black market and then release the crew and ship. However, attacks are becoming increasingly violent and fatal, various piracy statistics show.

The Joint War Committee comprises underwriting representatives from the International Underwriting Association and Lloyd's markets, representing the interests of those who write marine hull war business in the London market.

Sri Lankan security firm Avant Garde Maritime Services (AGMS) has become embroiled in scandal as two of its floating armory vessels remain under arrest.

The armory vessel Avant Garde was arrested in the port of Galle in October. AGMS officials say they received permission from the Ministry of Defence for the vessel to enter the port, but upon arrival, Sri Lankan Navy officials boarded the ship and placed it under government control. The company described the Navy's actions as a “downright betrayal.”

Sri Lankan authorities found 816 T56 (an AK-47 variant) and 84 S type firearms on board the ship, along with about 200,000 rounds of ammunition. The vessel was allegedly licensed to carry no more than 100 arms. Additionally, reports indicate that at least 59 of the guns found had no legible serial numbers. According to statements of crew aboard the Avant Garde, the weapons were intended for transfer to the commercial security firm Rakna Lanka Limited.

On November 5, Rakna Lanka's representatives, along with several senior defense officals, were called to testify before a presidential commission on fraud. The commission is examining the firm's finances and arms transactions.

Opposition members of parliament claim that the current government is doing too little in its investigation in order to shield AGMS and others from corruption charges.

The arms transfer appears to confirm industry observers' concerns that arms stored aboard floating armories could be sold off under murky circumstances. As piracy is declining in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, demand for maritime security services is on the wane, and it is expected that many security companies’ assets will be liquidated.

The Avant Garde is not the only AGMS vessel under investigation. The armory ship Mahanuwara was boarded by Sri Lankan police early in 2015; they found 3000 unregistered firearms aboard. A court ruling on October 22 paved the way for a full investigation of the Mahanuwara to begin.

Prior to arrival in Galle, the Avant Garde was stationed in the Red Sea. It is one of three armory vessels owned by AGMS.

This is a real video footage recorded by the Dutch Navy during an operation in Somali waters on board MS TAIPAN back in April 2010.

The conducted operation of the Dutch navy was a rare victory in the war against international piracy after marines abseiled from a helicopter to seize control of a captured container ship following a shootout with Somali hijackers.
One Dutch marine was slightly injured during the storming of the container ship, which had been boarded by 10 Somali pirates from small boats armed with machine guns.

The 15-man German crew of MS Taipan had radioed for help after taking refuge in a secure cabin on board the ship.

The Dutch frigate Tromp was called to the scene and caught up with the MS Taipan some 560 miles off the Somali coast because the German crew had managed to shut down the ship's engines. The vessel was almost at a standstill as the pirates boarded, the Dutch navy said.

What followed was the stuff of a James Bond film: after the Dutch frigate attempted to negotiate with the pirates but failed, a helicopter gunship from the Tromp took off and machine-gunned the bridge of the MS Taipan. Minutes later the helicopter hovered over containers on the bow of the MS Taipan allowing a unit of heavily armed marines to abseil on to the deck, storm the vessel and retake it.

Despite the damage to the ship's bridge, the MS Taipan was then able to continue its voyage from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Djibouti. The marines detained the 10 Somali pirates on board the ship.

The raid was described as an exceptional feat as most attempts to stop piracy on the high seas usually result in captured ships being left in the hands of their hijackers because of fears for the safety of the crew.

Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that Neil will be taking over both branches, and some of you will lose your jobs. Those of you who are kept on will have to relocate to Swindon, if you wanna stay. I know, gutting. On a more positive note, the good news is, I've been promoted, so... every cloud. You're still thinking about the bad news aren't you?

Eurocap Nestor

Quite easily if you haven't an established navy who have to fight for every crumb from the table of the DF budget.

Given he is a member here he may even drop in and give us an insight.

The new operations advisor on Maritime security will need a reasonable qualified group of seamen that can be integrated into a unit with abilities in communication, engineering, and also a seagoing interdiction/ detention unit(s). The Port of Mogadishu is operationally managed, under fee, by a Turkish consortium. The Somali maritime Agency/ Coast Guard needs to obtain a secure port area ( Base ) for their vessels and appropriate billeting, training, and HQ areas with closed secure access.

Very presumptuous to say that it's ended, in abeyance perhaps due to the massive international maritime presence in the area. Take that away (and there are already noises that 2018 is the last year of EU NAVFOR ATALANTA) and the easy profits associated with piracy will be far too attractive.

03 Oct 2016 there was a suspicious approach in the Red Sea just north of Bab al-Mandeb as detailed on the IMB website:

Potential pirates were dissuaded by PCASP aboard but owners/operators are beginning to question the need (read: cost) for the latter given the 'low' threat.

The drivers (abject poverty, lack of alternate employment, easy access to weapons, presence of tribal warlords, weak national administrations) are still there so, given the right conditions, a-pirating they shall go again.

Yep, I was aware of this one from elsewhere when I put up my earlier post and now it's open source. The one good thing that's coming out of this is that owners/operators are getting some hard evidence of how effective a professional PCASP Team can be, perhaps they'll continue to stump up the funds required to have them aboard for a little bit longer.

Yep, I was aware of this one from elsewhere when I put up my earlier post and now it's open source. The one good thing that's coming out of this is that owners/operators are getting some hard evidence of how effective a professional PCASP Team can be, perhaps they'll continue to stump up the funds required to have them aboard for a little bit longer.

Is there still difficulty with Rules of Engagement and carriage of arms and ammunition eg. when ship with PCASP arrives in port armed. Are they under command to anybody aboard or ashore? I presume the Flag State of the armed ship is ultimately required to carry all cans, including pirate casualties.
It seems up to 50% of ships on passage in hot areas have Private Contracted Armed Security Personnel. Available teams must be in thousands and need to be controlled and procedure trained by a body equivalent to the old DEMS or an IMO Ship Defence Organisation.

Is there still difficulty with Rules of Engagement and carriage of arms and ammunition eg. when ship with PCASP arrives in port armed. Are they under command to anybody aboard or ashore? I presume the Flag State of the armed ship is ultimately required to carry all cans, including pirate casualties.
It seems up to 50% of ships on passage in hot areas have Private Contracted Armed Security Personnel. Available teams must be in thousands and need to be controlled and procedure trained by a body equivalent to the old DEMS or an IMO Ship Defence Organisation.

Ultimately it's down to the Flag State to set the conditions for the use of PCASP aboard. These can range from the number/type of weapons used to the qualifications required by the individual personnel as well as the certification of the company. The Flag State can also limit their use to areas considered by insurers to be high risk.

As for the embarkation/disembarkation of PCASP and their associated weapons, most Flag States just say 'in accordance with the regulations of the Port State'. Some ports are easier than others.

There is a real wide range of quality, from fly-by-night organisations to high-quality companies with ISO certification and top-notch personnel and procedures. The problem is that, AFAIK, no Flag State is actively inspecting how their regulations/guidance are being implemented at sea.

As for the embarkation/disembarkation of PCASP and their associated weapons, most Flag States just say 'in accordance with the regulations of the Port State'. Some ports are easier than others.

There is a real wide range of quality, from fly-by-night organisations to high-quality companies with ISO certification and top-notch personnel and procedures. The problem is that, AFAIK, no Flag State is actively inspecting how their regulations/guidance are being implemented at sea.[/QUOTE]

Much as I thought. It sounds too much like a gunslinger rides into town and he may just also be a homicidal maniac , not under control. It needs to be regularised and brought under a Maritime Alliance attached to an EU/UN mandate using only National trained serving personnel, directed and controlled by an O I/C of at least Sergeant/ Petty Officer Rank using agreed ROE's.

Much as I thought. It sounds too much like a gunslinger rides into town and he may just also be a homicidal maniac , not under control. It needs to be regularised and brought under a Maritime Alliance attached to an EU/UN mandate using only National trained serving personnel, directed and controlled by an O I/C of at least Sergeant/ Petty Officer Rank using agreed ROE's.